So, eighteen months after the final episode of "Game of Thrones," there's been the expected dropoff in fandom activity. HBO is still busy trying to put together a prequel series - the latest attempt, "House of the Dragon," will feature Paddy Considine as an early Targaryen warrior. George R.R. Martin is still working on the sixth "Song of Ice and Fire" book, as he has been for nearly a decade now. The actors have all been busy. In fact, it's been a running joke that you can't have a British prestige project without at least one "Game of Thrones" or "Downton Abbey" alum in the cast. Nonetheless, there's a very palpable feeling that the wider culture is done with "Game of Thrones."
"Game of Thrones" was a huge piece of pop culture for most of the 2010s, one of the last few programs that everyone knew about and used as a point of reference. This was remarkable given that it was R-rated, aired on premium cable, and featured complicated storylines juggling dozens of different players. Characters like Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, and Tyrion Lannister became iconic. Hype for the final season reached new heights in 2019, but to say that expectations weren't met is an understatement. There's no question that the finale was ambitious, featuring several feature length installments, but the final six episodes were marred by technical glitches, rushed storylines, and some downright bad writing. It was a ratings winner, but a total disaster on every other level. Many of the fans placed the blame on showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for trying to rush the franchise to a premature conclusion. The reaction to these episodes was so poisonous, Benioff and Weiss skipped Comic-Con that year, and it's widely believed that they lost their "Star Wars" project in part because of the fallout.
In the wider culture, "Game of Thrones" disappeared. Nobody references it anymore, except in mostly disparaging terms. Knowing the lackluster fates of the major characters really seems to have killed all the enthusiasm for the franchise. You can see its influence all over the pop culture landscape, but it's a challenge to find much true enthusiasm for the show anymore. Suddenly, "A Game of Thrones" feels very much like a product of its era, the 2010s, which are behind us. Now we're stuck in the 2020s, where everything turned out awful, and it's difficult to be optimistic about anything. It's telling that over the summer when every remotely nostalgic piece of media was doing Zoom reunions, "Game of Thrones" was noticeably missing.
This is the age of franchises, and several are experiencing a similar kind of ebb. There's a third "Fantastic Beasts" movie in the works that nobody much cares about, and J.K. Rowling really needs to get off social media. Amazon is trying to put together a "Lord of the Rings" series, though there are doubts about how successful they'll be without Peter Jackson and company involved. After tons of hype and fuss, the "Star Wars" cinematic series is currently kaput, and the franchise's best hope lies with "The Mandalorian" and other Disney+ shows. However, these are all series that have weathered decades of ups and downs already.
What stands out about the "Game of Thrones" situation is that the franchise hit the skids so quickly, and nearly everyone was caught off guard. The final season of the show was supposed to be a franchise high point, something that could fuel future spinoffs and ancillary projects. HBO and all their various subsidiaries invested heavily in its success through advertising partnerships, merchandise, and related media coverage. And it's telling that in spite of the disastrous finale, HBO went ahead with the development of those spinoffs. Frankly, the series was so huge, and the potential financial rewards are so great, it would be silly of them not to try and capitalize off any remaining goodwill that the fans might have.
So, it's safe to say "Game of Thrones" will be back in some capacity, even if "House of the Dragon" doesn't get off the ground. Eventually Martin will finish another book, or someone will finish it for him. All those millions of fans will get nostalgic for the show in a decade or two, and maybe look back on it in a more forgiving light. Someday, someone will try and reboot "Game of Thrones," and try to get the ending right next time. As "Star Wars" has proven, once you've been a major success, it provides lots of incentive to give a franchise no end of second chances.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss may be out of luck, but "Game of Thrones" is going to be around for a very long time.
---
No comments:
Post a Comment